SCOOP: Trump Admin Is Preparing to Revoke Visas of Critics of Elon Musk’s Twitter
Trump officials are considering revoking the visas of former European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton and Imran Ahmed, of the Center for Countering Digital Hate.
Donald Trump’s administration is in high-level talks to revoke the visas of two European green card holders, according to documentation seen by Zeteo. Both are prominent critics of Twitter (also known as “X”), the social media site owned by on-again-off-again Trump pal, Elon Musk.
Per a draft for an action memo outlining options for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the administration is weighing a move to revoke the visas of Former European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton and Imran Ahmed, CEO and founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate.
The move would mark one of the administration’s first attempts to revoke the visas of people they deem to be engaging in the “censorship” of Americans. Just last week, the State Department reportedly directed officials to screen out applicants for skilled worker visas who have previously worked to combat online misinformation and disinformation.
The visa revocation plans, which are being done in the name of free speech, come after the administration actively stifled the speech of foreign students across the US, detaining some over their speech against Israel’s US-backed genocide in Palestine. The administration indicated it may also soon demand that visiting tourists’ submit five years’ worth of social media posts before entering the country.
The draft memo is meant to provide options for Rubio to respond to a $140 million fine that the European Union levied against Twitter for breaches of the Digital Services Act surrounding transparency.